re: Unleaded fuel in leaded engines

[TJCallahan@xxxxxxx]

In AD v7n392, Matthew wrote:

>New Zealand has just gone through the change over to unleaded fuel. What a
>fiasco!!!!

<snip>

>3 Use Aviation Gasoline which is still contains lead (no road tax content in
the 
>pump price either so it's both cheap and illegal to use)

Sorry to read about the trials OZ is having with unleaded. Seems like the same
type of difficulties the USA had back when we converted. It's no fun.

In my pilot training days I was told that aviation gas (not jet fuel) runs
about 10x the amount of lead found in the highest octane automotive fuels.
Using it in cars would be extremely bad for the car (again, what I was told).

I can't verify this as my training was in mathematics and engineering, not
chemistry. I'd be interested in knowing what any oil engineers on the digest
might have to say about this. Is leaded avgas OK to use in high compression,
non-lead engines?

BTW, as far as I can tell, flying is still considered a rich person's sport
and the govt. types know on which side of the bread the butter resides ...
"There really aren't THAT many airplanes using leaded fuel."

ciao

Tom
'63 Spider (under resto - will get the head re-worked prior to tanking w/
unleaded)
Seattle

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